Movie Reviews for Hard Core Logo

Hard Core Logo

	List Price: ~~$19.98~~ Our Price: $14.99 You Save: $4.99 (25%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $2.59 (click here) Category: DVD See more DVD releases

Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada

Movie Reviews of Hard Core Logo

Movie Review: Wonderful movie... but what's up with the DVD?
Summary: 4 Stars

I love this film. Its emotional impact is roughly similar to that of watching a car accident in slow motion -- it's horrifying, and you keep hoping that what you see as the inevitable isn't going to happen, but it does, and you can't look away...

This is not a hilarious comedy, despite what the back of the box may lead you to believe. But it is definitely worth one viewing. Or several. I'd be lying if I denied that a lot of my enjoyment from the film comes from the amazing twisted chemistry between Joe Dick and Billy Tallent. They're wonderfully dysfunctional together. It didn't hurt that I already knew Hugh Dillon from his band the Headstones and Callum Keith Rennie from Due South, either. That was, in fact, how I found out about this film. But I digress.

Note to people who are interested in this film because Quentin Tarantino's name is on the box: he didn't direct it. His only involvement with it, as far as I know, is liking it enough to get it a US release.

I love this film, but the DVD is bad. First off, the only extra is the trailer. That's very disappointing, especially since I read an interview where the director talked about how he wanted to do a commentary track with Hugh Dillon and include four or five deleted scenes. Even the Canadian VHS release had a music video. Also I know there was a making-of special that could conceivably have been included. And they could've even added Bruce McDonald's music video for the Headstones' "Cemetery," as it's a great song to sing over the closing credits -- you'll see why.

I would recommend not looking at the images for the chapter stops until after the film. The final one, "Salute," (sic) spoils the ending.

But my main problem with the DVD is that over half of the titles that are supposed to appear onscreen in white are missing. This includes the names of the bands onstage at the Vancouver show, the word "Git-tah" during Billy's solo at the Vancouver show, the song titles at the Edmonton show, and pretty much all of the time/date references.

That lack messes up a lot of the movie. For example, right after Joe tells them to be at the van at 6 am, and you see shots of them waiting, there should have been numbers indicating 6:15, 7:00, 7:30, etc, to show that they finally left four hours later. Also, one of John's monologues makes a comment about how a certain time, I think, 3 am, relates to something. The something, when it happened, was not marked as 3 am, and thus, we lose that foreshadowing. Plus, in general, it would be nice to know when the events in the film happen. I know these words and numbers should be there because they were there in the Canadian VHS release.

Oh, one particularly bizarre loss of text: I think it was the Calgary show. On the VHS tape, as they come up on the city, the words "Calgary, Alberta" appear onscreen, timed with a sound effect. The words stay on screen a couple seconds, then are replaced with two repeated Chinese/Japanese characters. On the DVD, the sound effects are there, the characters are there, but the English text is missing. How odd.

The picture is much brighter on DVD than on my VHS tape, which is nice, and all the black and white interviews are now sepia-toned or blue. I don't recall the VHS release having this, but I could very well have really funny color settings on my TV.

I am editing this review to mention that the part with the gun in the "music, no coke" conversation is still there. I had misremembered when it was. So there probably are no editing differences.

My verdict is: if you already own the Canadian VHS, don't throw it out. But if you haven't seen it, buy the DVD. I'm just a slightly obsessed fan, and you probably won't notice any of this. The film itself is still superb.

Movie Review: Influencial film to those who value raw looks
Summary: 4 Stars

Personally influenced by Oliver Stone I found the movie 'The Doors' held a significant parallel to 'Hard Core Logo'. Simply put both movies revolve around drug/substance enduced journeys. For the Director of either film however, I think it is fair to say that their ultimate vision was not to be interpreted as just another drug movie. I mean really how many times have we seen that? But again, the use of substances for the time periods of each film were very much a fabrication to rock stars lives. HCL has a raw feel to it, the grainy picture and exposure in some parts I feel don't lesson it's value only strengthen its foreshadowing. HCL chronicles a road trip that a pseudo-rock/punk band take accross Canada performing in various pubs and concert halls. A very surprising ending, similar to the climactic tragedy in the french film 'Hate'. The only poor extension to the plot line in Hard Core Logo was the use of travelling. This device used in writing to push a film along and keep it going, to me is a sell-out. 'Tail Lights Fade' and 'Road Trip' are recent films that have pulled the same stunt. I understand for budget purposes the idea is fitting, it's feasable, but stylistically it could be done better. In all Hard Core Logo uses Canada's low population and beautiful, vast diversity to accurately portray the struggles and journeys of each characters life in a realistic setting.

Movie Review: Hardcore mockumentary
Summary: 4 Stars

"This is Spinal Tap" created the mockumentary genre in film with brilliant caricatures of washed-up rockers, and a sly wit that often slipped past on the first viewing. Bruce McDonald has upped the ante with "Hard Core Logo," his mockumentary about a defunct band of punk rockers who come together for a charity show, stay together for a short tour, and implode rather spectacularly on the road from obscurity to nowhere.

Yes, it's funny. It's monumentally funny in a nasty, painful way. You can't like these people, but you can come to love them, unloveable as they are, because they are so completely human and messed up. Though you know there is no way on earth the band can hold together you'll find yourself wanting them to succeed. The performances are amazing; there is not a false note in the whole film. Particularly fine are John Pyper-Ferguson as John Oxenberger, Julian Richings as Bucky Haight, and Hugh Dillon who gives a brilliant performance as Joe Dick. There's even a cameo by the late Joey Ramone.

HCL requires steady nerves, it's harrowing, but it's absolutely worth the time. "4 guys - 5 nights - 3000 miles - 764 gallons of gas - 987 bottles of beer - 3457 cigarettes - 1 last shot" Amen.

Movie Review: Hardcore Logo
Summary: 4 Stars

This movie ranks up there with the other punk rock movies: Romper Stomper, American History X, and SLC Punk. GET IT!!! It was obviously shot on a low budget and a few years back (1996), but that's the way the hardcore scene looked - low budget. Over-production would have killed this movie. It gave a good look at life in small town life and angry youth in North America as it would have looked in the 1980's before this sort of thing was commercialized and exploited by MTV, etc. It also shows some beautiful winter scenery of the more remote regions in western Canada. Enjoy!!!!